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By all accounts, you should not have this biography in your hand. There should be no "Daniel Merriweather" worth reading about, let alone a burgeoning young singer by that name who is garnering international appeal for his deliciously soulful voice. It's an improbable story. Merriweather was raised at the end of a train line on the eastern outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, a tough, working-class city tucked away in the southeastern corner of the southern hemisphere. He lived in a trailer out in front of his parents' house, and his family was not what one would consider "well off." It is a marvel that he made it out of Melbourne at all. And yet, this 24-year old talent who comes from the end of the earth will soon make a lot of people remember his name.

Tastemakers already know about Merriweather, primarily from his work with celebrated New York DJ and producer, Mark Ronson. Much of the critical praise for Ronson's latest album, Version, name-checks a cover of The Smiths' classic single, "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before," sung by Merriweather. To date, Merriweather has only released two singles: "City Rules" and "She's Got Me" (from Ronson's 2004 solo debut, Here Comes The Fuzz). Both were popular in Australia but also in hipster clubs in London, Paris and New York. In just a short amount of time, Merriweather has culled anticipation of his upcoming, as-yet-untitled solo album, due out on Columbia/Allido this year.

Merriweather sings with the bluesy conviction of an old soul, yet his velvety voice isn't an accident. As a toddler, Daniel learned to play classical music on a cardboard violin, after his mother enrolled him in classes that taught lower income children music only by ear. "I can still hum concertos from Vivaldi and Bach," Merriweather admits. "I eventually played the violin but my ear for music got really strong." At the age of 10, he began to sing, first toying with classic Elvis Presley material and then making the incongruous leap to Boyz II Men. "One day my dad bought a portable boombox, and that was the first CD that we bought," he remembers. "They were all over MTV at the time, and so it was everywhere. It sounds ridiculous but I was so completely blown away by it – they're technically very good singers, especially their harmonies, and it reminded me of the technical skill that goes into playing the violin."